1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a partition reconfiguration system, a partition reconfiguration method, and a partition reconfiguration program, and more particularly to a partition reconfiguration system, a partition reconfiguration method, and a partition reconfiguration program that automatically change the configuration of partitions to efficiently use computer resources.
2. Description of the Related Art
A plurality of logical divisions of a computer system composed of CPU boards, input/output controllers, and external storage devices are called partitions.
Partitions are already known according to the prior art, including what is described in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 3-69740.
The partitions that are originally set up are used permanently in most cases, and it has been quite uncommon that a system manager reconfigures the partitions as necessary.
However, the conventional partition reconfiguration system has the problems described below.
A first problem is that it is very difficult to efficiently use computer resources such as the CPU boards, input/output controllers, and external storage devices that are the components of a partition. In a computer system with a fixed partition configuration in which the operation mode changes according to time zones, the usage rate of the computer resources, such as the CPU boards, input/output controllers, and external storage devices that are the components of a partition, is low except at a load peak time but is high at a load peak time. From the viewpoint of whole system, this prevents the computer resources from being used efficiently. More specifically, online applications and batch applications are sometimes processed concurrently in separate partitions. Normally, in the daytime during which much online application processing is executed, the load of the computer resources of a partition allocated to online applications is heavy but the load of computer resources of a partition allocated to batch processing is light. On the other hand, at night during which much batch application processing is executed, the load of computer resources of a partition allocated to batch applications is heavy but the load of computer resources of a partition allocated to online applications is light. In a computer system where such an operation mode is used, a function that efficiently reconfigures the partitions is desired.
A second problem is that the partition reconfiguration operation is tiresome. The system manager is usually responsible for reconfiguring the originally set-up partitions when such a need arises. Because day-to-day operations are executed in the daytime, the partition reconfiguration operation must be done at night or on holidays. This increases the load of the system manager.